Halliburton ran out of control, says audit
By Joshua Chaffin in Washington
FT.com site; Jun 14, 2004

A Pentagon audit has found wide-spread deficiencies in the way Halliburton tracks billions of dollars of government contracts in Iraq and Kuwait, leading to "significant" overcharges.

The findings have been bolstered by graphic accounts from former employees who have told a US congressman that the company's subcontractors charged $100 (?83, £55) to launder a 15-pound bag of clothing and abandoned $85,000 trucks when they suffered flat tyres.

Critics say Halliburton, an oilfield services company formerly headed by Dick Cheney, the vice-president, has mismanaged more than $8bn of Iraq contracts. They will also raise further questions about the Pentagon's increased reliance on private contractors to handle services, from providing meals to fuel delivery.

Henry Waxman, a Democratic congressman, published the findings before a hearing on Tuesday in the House committee on government reform. Mr Waxman wrote on Monday to Tom Davis, the Republican committee chairman, that the whistleblower testimony and the findings of the Pentagon and congressional auditors "portray a company and a contracting environment that has run amok".

Mr Waxman also said the committee was neglecting its duty by not allowing the whistleblowers to testify, with the majority undecided whether they are credible. A spokesman for the committee said they were checking the whistleblowers' credibility. "We have never said 'no', just 'not yet'," he said, in reference to the possibility that they might testify before the committee.

Halliburton has been a lightning rod for critics of the Bush administration since it emerged in March 2003 that the politically connected company was awarded a contract worth up to $7bn to fight oil fires in Iraq without competition. The company's Kellogg Brown & Root division has billed the Pentagon $4.5bn under a separate logistics contract for work in Iraq and Kuwait.

The latest Pentagon audit, prepared in May, follows a January report that found "systemic deficiencies" in the way the company accounted for costs in Iraq that were passed on to the US government. The new report says the company failed to monitor subcontractors adequately. "The cost impact to the government is indeterminable; however, we consider the potential impact to be significant based on the size of KBR's operations," it concludes.

KBR said in written responses to the Pentagon audit that it was in the process of upgrading accounting procedures in Iraq. The company did not immediately respond to the whistleblowers.

Marie de Young, a Halliburton logistics specialist, told Mr Waxman's office she was discouraged by managers when she raised questions about the exorbitant prices for laundry and five-star hotels. Ms de Young was told, she said, that she was providing too much information to Pentagon auditors, and concluded that the corporate culture was one of "intimidation and fear".

James Warren, a former KBR truck driver, claims he was fired a few weeks after he called Randy Harl, the division's chief executive, to complain about widespread theft and the abandoning of trucks because of simple maintenance problems.

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http://search.ft.com/s03/search/article.ht...id=040614008090

Maybe you could get a job cutting and pasting for the Paper, what is your opinion on this?

Maybe I should...

My opinion is that it's extremely ironic that Bush and Cheney both have links to Halliburton, and yet, Halliburton for some reason "mismanages 8 billion in Iraq"

Imagine that, politicians using their position for personal gain. WOW I guess Kerry didnt use his position to be discharged early from the Navy or his PH awards to be transfered out of a war zone... Hmmmm are we humans or are we machines.
People make poor choices and I am sure it will come out and Cheney will be in trouble.

Yes, he will be in trouble. Kerry did something, or so you say, for his personal gain. Cheney is doing this, for his personal gain. Yet, Kerry was not affecting anyone else, but himself. While Cheney and Bush are affecting many people, with their scandal with Halliburton.

Originally posted by Beirut_Veteran
Maybe you could get a job cutting and pasting for the Paper, what is your opinion on this?

OK, honestly B_V, I've got no problem with people posting articles. Most of us do it - that's how we get debate going. The only thing that bugs me is when people post opinion pieces instead of their own damn opinions. Or post the same article over and over again.

I apologized for that..... sorry

:(

Originally posted by LionelHutz
OK, honestly B_V, I've got no problem with people posting articles. Most of us do it - that's how we get debate going. The only thing that bugs me is when people post opinion pieces instead of their own damn opinions. Or post the same article over and over again. but , we cant have a fact on something like that. we ALL knew that something was fishy when halliburton got the contract......but each day, it becomes more official.....funny thing is, guys still defend that shit !! and all kerry did was do his tour, those other guys used DADDY'S connections. as far as im concerned, and this is my opinion, when it comes to doing dirt, bush is president !........where's the plane that hit the pentagon ?!!!

to bad people didnt worry about US government waste in every facet of our lives as much as halliburton. Mismanagement of funds in the education department and social services make halliburton look like a kid blowing his paper route money on lolipops.

yes trav, I still remember the 100 dollar hammers stink from years ago.
When I used to bid on a job on a military base I generally figured what our company could do a normal job for and trippled the amount and bid that number. Often I got the contract.

Reason: I knew that the Corps of Engineers would have so many stupid things added to the job that it would be over-engineered without common scense.
This mentality of "hell its not our money" drives up the cost.

Korg Kerry did use connection to end his tour early and his enlistment early. Dont forget he was family friends with the Kennedys. SO whether we agree with one or the other, remember both are the same.
As for the Haliburton scandal, this kind of contractual tie to the White House has always existed and will no matter who is office. It needs to stop but wont unless we stand up against all political favors and lobby groups.

how many billions of dollars a year go into layer upon layer of beurocrats in the education buisness who do nothing but roll in money while teachers have to buy supplies with thier own money? how many stupid programs are there that do absolutly nothing? I am not saying that its OK for the government to waste money in Iraq, I am saying that singling that out as some great tragedy while waste ten times wose happnes in our own country is wrong.

You are right trav, if this was a year ago it would be a2 news not front page. But in an election year everything is bigger and better.
I have seen military waste under every admin since Carter.
We had to order high voltage signs for radio boxes and they cost 700.00, cost 21 dollars for us to have them made.

Military waste has been around as long as there has been military. Even Eisenhower warned us of the growing influence of the military industrial complex.

It seems when ever schools screw up we cut their funding, and funnel it to charter schools and the like. But lordy if the military fails...well let's give them more money.

Soldiers in Iraq need to bring their own radios, they bring their own body armor, while Raython, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing and countless others make billions. War profiteers will always insist that war is the only way to resolve conflict. They'll make the $$$ while we bury more soldiers.

:groans:

Originally posted by Beirut_Veteran
Korg Kerry did use connection to end his tour early and his enlistment early. Dont forget he was family friends with the Kennedys. SO whether we agree with one or the other, remember both are the same.
As for the Haliburton scandal, this kind of contractual tie to the White House has always existed and will no matter who is office. It needs to stop but wont unless we stand up against all political favors and lobby groups. MY GOD BEIRUT ! your gonna say something about a man that DID his tours.......wtf did bush do. kerry did 2 tours....man, when your standing next to a person who weighs 300 lbs and you weigh 290, you cant call him fat !! how dare you come with those statistics when drunk ass bush ducked everything but a bar..!! you cant talk about anything that has to do with kerry's service man....please. george was a draft dodging drunken coke head.....kerry left service early.......wtf

Originally posted by Travh20
how many billions of dollars a year go into layer upon layer of beurocrats in the education buisness who do nothing but roll in money while teachers have to buy supplies with thier own money? how many stupid programs are there that do absolutly nothing? I am not saying that its OK for the government to waste money in Iraq, I am saying that singling that out as some great tragedy while waste ten times wose happnes in our own country is wrong. so....once again, your defense for that jerk stealing money is that " other people did it too" !!? there is no argument for that. AND, the fact that this asshole got the contract is bad enough....the LEAST he could do is do it without being dirty.....but you know what he's saying........i dont give a shit what you people think. i'll do what i want because i know the right wing loyalist will make this seem like a picnic compared to that stupid idiot with the blowjob......lmao

Originally posted by Pepper
Military waste has been around as long as there has been military. Even Eisenhower warned us of the growing influence of the military industrial complex.

It seems when ever schools screw up we cut their funding, and funnel it to charter schools and the like. But lordy if the military fails...well let's give them more money.

Soldiers in Iraq need to bring their own radios, they bring their own body armor, while Raython, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing and countless others make billions. War profiteers will always insist that war is the only way to resolve conflict. They'll make the $$$ while we bury more soldiers. GREAT POINTS.....DAMN GOOD ARGUMENT.....i see travh responded in his usual intellectual manner.....but you are right on pepper !!

Originally posted by Beirut_Veteran
You are right trav, if this was a year ago it would be a2 news not front page. But in an election year everything is bigger and better.
I have seen military waste under every admin since Carter.
We had to order high voltage signs for radio boxes and they cost 700.00, cost 21 dollars for us to have them made. and carter DIDNT HAVE his PEANUT COMPANY over there doing the charging and gouging.......how dare you guys......this is HIS company.....his ! he's vice president. what, the closer you bring it to home , the more legit it is !??......wtf....all of a sudden, people that normally sound reasonable, are sounding like johnny cochran......how dare you guys defend that shit......its his own company. thats worst than any shit ENRON did !!

Originally posted by korg
MY GOD BEIRUT ! your gonna say something about a man that DID his tours.......wtf did bush do. kerry did 2 tours....man, when your standing next to a person who weighs 300 lbs and you weigh 290, you cant call him fat !! how dare you come with those statistics when drunk ass bush ducked everything but a bar..!! you cant talk about anything that has to do with kerry's service man....please. george was a draft dodging drunken coke head.....kerry left service early.......wtf


how do you do two tours in vietnam in a 4 month period?

Kerry has admit to killing women and children in free fire zones, he wasnt ordered to but he ordered his crew to open fire on anything that moved.
He was asked to leave Vietnam by his commanding officer, read his statement in the Vote against Kerry thread.
Yes Bush ducked going to Vietnam but he never killed a child with his gun, he never walked shoulder to sholder with Hanoi Jane, he never spit in the face of veterans, he never was the head of a group who plotted killings and the over throw of the government.
Oh yes, he never sailed on Kennedys yacht either.
Kerry is an admitted murderer, blood on his hands, he said he committed these war crimes but he was never prosecuted, even though he personally called for the prosecution of others who did as did.
How dare you, Korg, say that I have no right to criticise a veteran, I have been there and I have earned that right.

Originally posted by Beirut_Veteran
Kerry has admit to killing women and children in free fire zones, he wasnt ordered to but he ordered his crew to open fire on anything that moved.
He was asked to leave Vietnam by his commanding officer, read his statement in the

How dare you, Korg, say that I have no right to criticise a veteran, I have been there and I have earned that right.

You attack Kerry for all of those wrong doings in Vietnam, yet, you let the others who did the same, off the hook? Oh, and he was ordered by higher officials, to tell his troops to shoot at anything that moves. I highly doubt he would have gotten 1 bronze and 1 silver medals, oh and 3 purple hearts, if he was really “that bad”. You forget he saved a man out of the water, during a war zone. Can you say, hero?

It’s funny how you attack Kerry for attacking the troops in Vietnam, and say he had no right to do so. Yet you say you have “earned” your right to attack Kerry, for his service. So I guess you have the “right” to earn your “right” to attack other veterans, but Kerry doesn’t have the “right” to do the same, even though he served as well.

Sen. John Kerry was told to leave Vietnam by three colleagues upset with his behavior and attitudes, according to a fellow swift-boat officer during the war.

Thomas Wright says the misbehavior of the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate got to the point where he no longer wanted him in his boat group. So, at Wright's request, his divisional commander assigned Kerry to another group.


Then Wright and like-minded boat officers took matters into their own hands, according to John B. Dwyer, a Vietnam veteran and military historian writing in the online magazine American Thinker.

"When he got his third Purple Heart, three of us told him to leave," Wright said, according to Dwyer. "We knew how the system worked and we didn't want him in Coastal Division 11.

"Kerry didn't manipulate the system," he continued, "we did."

Wright, who at times was officer-in-charge over Kerry, said he had occasion to observe Kerry's behavior and attitudes, and the circumstances surrounding his early departure from the war zone.

Wright noted Kerry's chosen moniker for radio communications between the boats was "Boston Strangler."

The officer said he and most other swift-boat officers had two commandments: 1. Protect the crews. 2. Win.

But working with "Boston Strangler" became problematical, he said, according to Dwyer.

"I had a lot of trouble getting him to follow orders," Wright recalled. "He had a different view of leadership and operations. Those of us with direct experience working with Kerry found him difficult and oriented toward his personal, rather than unit goals and objectives."

Wright said he "believed that overall responsibility rested squarely on the shoulders of the OIC or OTC [Officer-in-Tactical Command] in a free-fire zone. You had to be right [before opening fire]."

However, he continued, "Kerry seemed to believe there were no rules in a free-fire zone, and you were supposed to kill anyone. I didn't see it that way."

The rules were vital, Wright emphasized, because it was important the enemy "understood that swift boats were a competent, effective force that could dominate his location."

"You couldn't achieve that by indiscriminate use of weapons in free-fire zones," he said.

Wright referred to the three Purple Hearts awarded to Kerry, which allowed him to leave Vietnam for the U.S.


'nuff said......

That’s why when he came home they awarded him 1 bronze and 1 sliver medal for his service.

:confused:
But, yes, they asked him to leave...
And then gave him medals to show he did a great job.